Dear Aviva,
My aunt just had her second cornea transplant! Apparently, she had something wrong with her cornea and had to get a transplant. However, each time took several months because, as you know, you need to wait for a donor, and, unfortunately, neither time worked so she’s still blind in that eye! I was on the plane to the U.S. the other day and someone mentioned to me that Israel has this new company doing artificial cornea transplants? Is that real?!
Sincerely,
Blurry in Be’er Sheva
Dear Blurry,
You are correct in that, unfortunately, between 10-20% of cornea transplants are rejected, meaning that the patient is still left with the unresolved blindness. A few years ago, the Rabin Medical Center in Israel successfully transplanted an artificial cornea, and they continue to perform them on occasion if the patient meets the criteria. So this is an option to investigate. There is also a startup company which is piloting artificial corneas, but they are still in the approval stages and the product is not yet on the market.
Yours in Health,
Aviva.
Ask Aviva #23: Why is the allergist referring me to a pulmonologist?
